Probably the greatest coming of age movie since "500 Days of Summer" and beyond. Beneath small dedications to Werner Herzog, French New Wave and spaghetti westerns, lies an intelligent story that deals with complex subjects while being creative, hilarious, charming and devastating with such simplicity that it leaves a trace, as a love letter to cinephilia and the study of bittersweet life, that is not easy to erase.

Watched up until Jean-Marie Straub's name came up onto the screen in the DVD shop (although honestly I was only watching it in the first place to verify that this name-drop was an actual thing). One of the problems to remember with name-dropping can be that if a director lazily references far better filmmakers than themself then there's a good chance I'll go watch one of that director's films instead of theirs.

Probably, borrows too much from Wes Anderson, but still captivates with its honesty, wit, style and film geek stuff (a lot of). Even the story doesn't feel so forced, though its tearjerking ending may annoy somebody (it's is cheerful, actually).

Surprisingly enjoyable and well-made. Gomez-Rejon takes many risks, and they pay off. Most striking is the cinematography, full of funny quirks and layered compositions. The performances are strong throughout, especially Molly Shannon who shines as a woman on the verge of a mental break down.

I did not want to like this. In fact I'm still furious about liking it even after a second rewatch. The novel, also by Andrews, is an assault on YA literature. It only makes sense that a story about movies would be better suited to this medium but this film went above and beyond my expectations. I admit it's not for everyone so if "The Fault in Our Stars + It's Always Sunny in Philly" doesn't sound appealing, skip.